Drying of the Aral Sea: Solutions

There is never a perfect solution. A combination of projects may need to be completed as joint efforts between nations to solve this problem. Unfortunately, as water becomes scarcer worldwide, these joint efforts would be a difficult endeavor.

In 2005 Kazahkstan built a dam between the northern and southern portions of the sea to preserve solely the northern portion. Without this connection the southern lobe will continue to evaporate and disappear. The northern portion seems to be gradually refilling. The only way to repair the entire sea would be to redivert both rivers back to the Aral Sea.

Cotton plants require vast amounts of water. However, it has become a staple in the otherwise stagnant Central Asian economies. The removal of cotton from this economy would be a catastrophic mistake. This region must be introduced to more desert-tolerant crops which turn an equal profit if the Aral Sea is to be repaired.

Another possible solution is to dig a canal from the Caspian Sea to the southern lobe of the Aral Sea. The water level in the northern portion is now higher than the southern portion. The southern portion would have large volumes of water added to it before the dam would be removed.